Scissors



J 19, 1951 M. L METzGE-R 2,5 1,553

SCISSORS Filed Dec. 14. 1948 I INVENTOR. MWMER MN I 444715 BY A T TOQ/VEY Patented June 19, 1951 U ITED STAT Application December 14, 1948,serial No. 65,220

'8 Claims.

This invention relates to scissors, and more particularly, is concernedwith play scissors, i. e. scissors which are specially designed to beused by children.

It is an object of my invention to provide play scissors having keencutting edges, but which are so constructed that a child cannot cut oreven nip himself.

It is 'another'obje'c't of my invention to provide play scissors whichcan be used to effectively cut paper by a child entirely unacquaintedwith the proper manipulation of scissors.

It is a further object of my invention to provide play scissors whichare so designed that one of the blades may be pointed without danger ofa 'child hurting himself or others.

It is an additional object of 'my invention to provide play scissorswhich are easy and inexpensive to manufacture, attractive in appearance-and rugged and efficient in use.

, Other objects of my invention will in part be obvious and in parthereinafter pointed out.

My invention accordingly consists in the features'of construction,arrangements of parts and combinations of elements which will be exemplified'in the scissors hereinafter described, and the scope of which willbe indicated in the appended claims.

In the drawings, in which is shown one of the various possibleembodiments of my invention,

Fig. 1 is a front view of a pair of closed play scissors constructed inaccordance with my invention;

Figs. 2 and 3 are bottom and top views, respectively, thereof;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 4- of Fig.1 and is illustrative of the transverse cross-sectional configuration ofthe guard for the moving blade;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially along the line5-5 of Fig. 1 and is illustrative of the simple pivotally disposed meansfor biasing the blades together resiliently at the moving cutting point;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but with the blades open to theirmaximum extent and with the guard for the moving blade broken away tobetter illustrate its construction; and

Fig. '7 is a front view of a washer which serves as the means forbiasing the blades together resiliently.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, H3 denotes a pair of childsplay scissors embodying myinvention. "Saidscissors comprises a pair ofidentical light gauge, carbon steel, nickel-plated injection molding,

"in the mold cavity prior to molding.

blades l2, l4 each of which includes an elongated main oroperativeportion It having a sharpened cutting edge is and a dull backedge 28. Although straight as viewed from the front (see Figs. 1 and 6),the cutting edge bows outwardly from the tip 2 thereof back to the pointof pivotal attachment of the blades (see Figs. 2 and 3) in the samefashion as in a conventional pair of high grade scissors. Each bladehas'an aperture 2:1 provided therein at the point of pivotal attachment.In back of this point each blade includes a tang 23 which extends at anangle to the longitudinal axis of the main portion Hi, the tang beingdisposed at such an angle that it extends outwardly from the cuttingedge 20 rather than from the blunt back edge n of the blade.

The two bladesare joined by apivot which optionally is in the form of asimple rivet 28 whose shank is rotatably received in the blade apertures24. One end of the rivet has a head 38 with which the rivet initially isprovided. This head engages the outer flat side of one of the blades, e.g.-the blade. l2. The shank of the rivet also is rotatably received inthe central apertures of a curved -(-Belleville) washer 32 located onthe cutter flat side of the other blade i l. Said washer is sopositioned that its concave side faces the blade I l. The other end ofthe rivet is headed, as at'34, after the blades and washer have beenassembled as described. The heading operation is carried out with theaid of a suitable jig and forming tool such as are well known and whichare manipulated in such fashion that when the scissors are in the openposition indicated in Fig. 6 the washer 32 is lightly pressed againstthe blade I4 by the rivet head 34. This pressure will be somewhatincreased as the scissors are closed (Fig. 1) and the purpose thereofwill be pointed out hereinafter.

The angularly disposed tang 26 of the blade i4 is imbedded in a thumbhandle 35 which preferably is made by molding from a suitable plasticmaterial (either thermo-plastic or thermo-setting), for example,cellulose acetate, cellulose acetate butyrate, vinyl chloride, ethylcellulose, and acrylic resin, a styrene resin, an'aldehyde condensationresin or a urea resin. Conventional molding procedure is followed infabricating'the handle, depending upon the plastic employed, e. g.compression molding, transfer with the tang disposed Alternatively, thehandle can be molded in two halves which later are cemented togetherwith the tang set in grooves formed-in the handle halves. The

molding or flash molding,

3 handle is formed with an aperture 38 of proper size and shape toaccommodate a childs thumb.

The angularly disposed tang 26 of the other blade I2 is imbedded in afinger handle 40 which desirably is formed in the same manner and of thesame material as the thumb handle 36. The finger handle is provided withan aperture 42 of proper size and shape to accommodate a childs indexand middle fingers.

One or the other of the handles 36, 40, as shown the finger handle 40,has a guard 44 integrally molded in one piece therewith. This guardconsists of a pair of side walls 46, 48 which, for simplicity, may, asindicated, be flat and parallel to one another. The upper edges 50 ofthese walls are located a short distance below and, desirably, areparallel to the cutting edge [8 of the blade I2 whose tang 26 isimbedded in the handle 40 with which the guard 44 is integral. Thus, theother blade l4 swings through or between the walls 46, 48 of the guard.

A curved wall 52 may be provided to cover the front end of the spacebetween the side walls 46, 48 and another wall 54 may be provided tocover the bottom of said space. Opening of the blades is limited byabutment of the blade l4 against the wall 54 and closing of the bladesby abutment of the handles 36, 40 against one another.

It now will be clear that the only thing which can be cut with thesescissors is a thin object like a sheet of paper or piece of clothcapable of being inserted into the space between the edges 50 of theguard side walls and the cutting edge l8 of the blade l2. Inasmuch asthis space is much too small for a childs finger, the child cannot becut despite the sharpness of the blades. Moreover, since both sides ofthe blade l4 are protected by the guard, the child cannot even niphimself as he easily could if only one side of said blade were guarded.

It will be observed that the tip of the blade I4 is permanently coveredand that the tip of the blade [2 is very close to the guard 44. Thisarrangement serves to protect the user and other persons from beingdeeply jabbed with the tip of either blade and permits the tips to bepointed, if desired, without fear of causing severe injury.

Attention is directed to the fact that, despite the attachment of theplastic handles to the blades immediately in back of the pivot point,the scissors can make a cut longer than the blades with ease. This isdue to the use of the angularly ofiset tangs which extend from the backedges of the blades and leave clear the space in back of the pivot pointwhereby to allow paper, etc., to be slid freely over said point after itis cut.

Another feature of the invention is the use of the curved washer 32 toprovide a simple and inexpensive means at the pivot point whichresiliently biases the blades together. In handling a pair of scissors,and particularly a pair of scissors having their blades bowed (as shownherein) in order to make a better cut, it is necessary for a user topress the handles toward one another in a direction parallel to the axisof relative rotation of the blades. This pressure is suppliedautomatically by adults and older children, due to ingrained habit.However, young children for whom these play scissors are speciallydesigned have not had the benefit of experience and so do not supply therequisite type of pressure. Accordingly, they have considerabledifliculty in cutting with conventional scissors; paper tends to slipbetween the blades rather than to be cut thereby. This difficulty bettercan be appreciated by an adult if he tries to cut using a standard pairof scissors with his index finger in one of the handles and his middlefinger in the other. Under such conditions the fingers no longer willautomatically supply the proper axial pressure and the adult will havethe same trouble as a young child in cutting a piece of paper.

However, the washer 32 remedies this difliculty by mechanicallyfurnishing a pressure which biases the blades together axially of theaxis of relative rotation of the blades so that, with the washerpresent, any child who only can open and close the blades can cut asheet of paper easily.

To enhance the attractive appearance of the scissors, the handles andguard may be shaped so that the scissors simulates a pelican, with theguard resembling the bird's pouch, the blades the beak, the thumb handlethe head and wings, and the finger handle the body.

It thus will be seen that there is provided a pair of scissors whichaccomplishes the several objects of my invention and is well adapted tobe employed successfully on a commercial scale.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention,and as various changes might be made in the embodiment above described,it is to be understood that all matters herein set forth, or shown inthe accompanying drawings, is to be interpreted as illustrative and notin a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent:

1. A pair of childs play scissors comprising two blades each of whichincludes an elongated operative portion having a cutting edge and a backedge, and a tang in back of the operative portion, means pivotallyinterconnecting said blades between the tangs and operative portions,and a different handle secured to each tang, one of said handles havinga member immovably affixed thereto in non-overlapping relationship withrespect to blade attached to that handle and to its cutting edge, saidmember constituting a guard for the other blade and including an edgeisposed a short distance away from the cutting edge of the bladeattached to that handle.

2. A pair of childs play scissors comprising two blades each of whichincludes an elongated operative portion having a cutting edge anda backedge, and a tang in back of the operative portion, means pivotallyinterconnecting said blades between the tangs and operative portions,and a different handle secured to each tang, one of said handles havinga member immovably affixed thereto in non-overlapping relationship withrespect to blade attached to that handle and to its cutting edge, saidmember constituting a guard for the other blade and including an edgedisposed a short distance away from the cutting edge of thebladeattached to that handle, said member comprising a pair of spaced wallsbetween which the operative portion of the guarded blade swings.

3. A pair of childs play scissors comprising two blades each of whichincludes an elongated operative portion having a cutting edge and a backedge, and a tang in back of the operative portion, means pivotallyinterconnecting said blades between the tangs and operative portions,and a different handle secured to each tang, one of said handles havinga member immovably affixed thereto in non-overlapping relationship withrespect to the blade attached to that handle and to its cutting edge,said member constituting a guard forthe other blade, said membercomcutting edge of the blade to which the member is secured.

4. A pair of childs play scissors comprising two blades each of whichincludes an elongated operative portion having a cutting edge and a backedge, and a tang in -back of the operative portion, means pivotallyinterconnecting said blades between the tangs and operative portions,and a different handle secured to each tang, one of said handles havinga member immovably affixed thereto in non-overlapping relationship withrespect to the blade attached to that handle and to its cutting edge,said member constituting a guard for the other blade, said membercomprising a pair of spaced walls between which the operative portion ofthe guarded blade swings, the upper edges of said walls being disposed ashort distance away from and parallel to the cutting edge of the bladeto which the member is secured and means bridging the lower edges ofsaid spaced walls to prevent the guarded blade from leaving the member.

5. A pair of childs play scissors comprising two blades each of whichincludes an elongated operative portion having a cutting edge and a backedge, means pivotally interconnecting said blades, and a memberimmovably afiixed to one of said blades in non-overlapping relationshipwith respect to that blade and its cutting edge, said memberconstituting a guard for the.other blade and including an edge disposeda short distance away from the cutting edge of the blade to which it isattached.

6. A pair of child's play scissors comprising two blades each of whichincludes an elongated operative portion having a cutting edge and a backedge, means pivotally interconnecting said blades, and a memberimmovably afiixed to one of said blades in non-overlapping relationshipwith respect to that blade and its cutting edge, said memberconstituting a guard for the other blade, said member comprising a pairof spaced walls between which the operative portion of the other bladeswings, the upper edges of said walls being disposed a short distanceaway from the cutting edge of said one blade.

7. A pair of childs play scissors comprising two blades each of whichincludes an elongated operative portion having a cutting edge and a backedge, means pivotally interconnecting said blades, and a memberimmovably affixed to one of said blades in non-overlapping relationshipwith respect to that blade and its cutting edge, said memberconstituting a guard for the other blade, said member comprising a pairof spaced walls between which the operative portion of the other bladeswings and means bridging the lower edges of said pair of walls toprevent the guarded blade from leaving the guard.

8. A pair of childs play scissors comprising two blades each of whichincludes an elongated operative portion having a cutting edge and a backedge, means pivotally interconnecting said blades, and a memberimmovably afiixed to one of said blades in non-overlapping relationshipwith respect to that blade and its cutting edge, said memberconstituting a guard for the other blade, said member comprising a pairof spaced walls between which the operative portion of the other bladeswings, a wall bridging the lower edges of said pair of walls, andanother wall bridging the front edges of said pair of walls.

MORTIMER IRVIN METZGER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain Apr.26, 1934 Great Britain Sept. 22, 1947 Number Number

